Step into the FRAME

Setting the scene for you. This is from a previous convo with an acquaintance :

HER: “wow you have long hair”

ME: “um… thank you. yeah hair grows. I only trim it. it’s been this long for years. Probably this long since I met you”

HER: “i follow you on Instagram and I don’t think there’s a single picture of your hair”

ME: “Good point. Um… I don’t think there’s many pictures of me period”

HER: “oh yeah you need to fix that. You NEED to be pictured. If only for the sake of your hair.”

So maybe she has a point. As moms (at least this one) it’s becoming second nature to snap our kiddos in action, and this mama LOVES taking pictures. BUT i’m in no pictures... For years, i’ve reminded my husband to snap pics with me. Well his phone only has pictures i’ve snapped as i steal his phone bc mine sits in a bowl of rice, or is not charged. And selfies are just hard, unless they are of my feet (THAT i can nail - but my hair isn’t down to my toes yet). And selfie-stick is just above my pay grade, and my abilities.

So why is it important? it chimes into my last post about teaching my daughter to be herself, no matter what. To stick up for herself. To be kind. To fight for others. SO what better example to take on “be herself, love herself” than to allow myself in front of lens. SO i’m taking a challenge to myself… and feel free to embark #mamaintheframe

3 times I WISHED I had a Fouta

As a Fouta lover and Fouta entrepreneur, I have acquired quite the stash. We shoot lots of pictures, and I get to keep every single one. I have an entire closet of foutas... I mean our sales team needs variety right?!  

As a mom you are always thrown to the wolves... always unexpectedly. And foutas are my go-to in times of disasters. I’ve written about how much they have helped, and then there are times when I lacked Fouta access. No bueno.  

And as i love LISTS, here are those moments in no particular order:

3. When our latest baby girl was about 2 weeks old, we jetted off to Malibu pier for some fresh air. Armed with a week worth of formula as backup (she was breastfed at the time), burp cloths, million diapers and wipes, pacifiers for a small army, and two different types of baby carriers, we mingled among the families. We had to pretend that ANOTHER baby wouldn’t rock this boat, nor prevent us from enjoying brunch on one of the most fabulous piers. And of course she had her first real blowout within 30 minutes... like it was all the way up to her neck and down to her socks. No sweat. Not a problem for seasoned parents of 3. However minor detail. No change of clothes in our magical diaper bag. None. No problem- wrap her in a Fouta. Nope. None. How did this happen!!!!? Our outing was cut short with a deliriously unhappy wet baby... This is what happened when we take the “cool” car and not the insanely-stacked-family car.

2. I love love baby blankets. My go-to baby gift is a monogrammed blanket (thanks to Amazon straight to @monogrammingbuckhead). Well turns out they just aren’t big enough for this mama. Even my beautiful and fantastic Monica and Andy $70 unicorn blanket couldn’t cut it. As we embarked on a friend outing with baby girl in tow, I needed to cover up in a sports bar to feed my baby girl (no battle about exposing the décolletage while breastfeeding- I chose not to expose despite my husband’s protest). And as a mom in a hurry, I forgot the magical wrap. Well the fouta is long, light and withstands anything! Nope. None. Again. So by some miracle I let it go and our friends and my husband and the baby stroller kindly shielded me. Another miss! Akward enough….

1. And I kept the best for last: AT THE SWIMMING POOL. Indeed my business is FOUTAS and it’s a highly popular item at the pool. Especially in Beverly Hills. Yep this mom did not have foutas of any kind or color for their stupid 15 minutes-swim-lesson. The prior weekend I used the Fouta stash that lives in my trunk, and I had not replenished. So improvise... no joke. I wrapped my kids in my sweaters. My L sweaters fit them perfectly. They shimmied to the locker room with pride. And I was slightly mortified as I kept my head high. 

This is why i stash in my trunk, passenger seat, and purse…

What are YOU staring at?

This. THIS IS WHAT I SEE WHEN I SIT DOWN to write, sort, edit, or just to scream in peace. When I get to work in the nursery/office/guest room/storage room/shit-keeper, this is my view.

I SEE Chloe’s art when we launched ourselves into LA and I could easily find a Michaels to buy kid-paint and canvases.

I SEE outlet plugs. You can never have too little plugs. I mean there’s the million office appliances (um… laminator and electric pencil sharpener. 2 reasons I no longer have a Costco card), and charger for phone, iPad and computer. And i’m over banging my head on the desk trying to plug in my phone with its 3 inch cord (DUMB Apple moment- we all NEED cords to stretch duh). Not the best decor…. but it’s useful.

I SEE ULINE bill… they are the bomb. And fast. Their shipping costs aren’t the bomb but they are amazing about delivering the goods. And legit the never ending supply availability. And yes i do need 500 count of boxes tomorrow.

I SEE UNICORN crap…. when is this phase gonna end? Seriously. Chloe needs to stop “needing” unicorn crap as my desk because her storage unit as her desk is full.

I SEE BOXES… i have a box-crush. I collect them. To gift them. Duh. BUT the gifts I buy never seem to quite fit into these boxes I own.. Because WHY would that be useful… So i enjoy these boxes.

And I SEE my hot-stuff hubby in the right corner… a recent pic of the two of us taken on date night. Great memories. And I like him… a lot.

What do you see????? What NEEDS to be residing on my desk?

Disclaimer: clearly the images shown are NOT my desk. Just happy images from Pinterest #pinterestisthebomb

Keep calm, and raise a strong girl.

After our last blog post… the only words I have is WOW. The stories, personal messages, comments, shares, wowza. SO happy I picked to showcase these magical moms kicking butt. And they do. They are keeping their kids alive, fighting everyday for their businesses, and smiling at their husbands every once in a while… Everyone wants to celebrate your success, and TOGETHER we are stronger. We keep supporting each other, laughing or crying with every step ahead. GO US.

Ok. Enough of the mush… Now onto a bigger topic: our girls. MANY of you (the readers) have those magical little human girls in your lives, and as magical as they are, they are handful (boys are too in their own way, but that’s a topic for another day). As a parents, I am SHOCKED and hence fail everyday as she has the ability to keep me on my toes. Everyday she stumps me with another topic… one day it’s death, the next my CS incision, and next REAL unicorns. 6-years-olds are full of information, emotions, hormones, and misleading beliefs.

Hot topics currently : am i gonna to be fat? Am i gonna be famous? why can’t I marry Dada if everyone can marry anyone they want? why does Mathieu sit so close to me? why do I have to use my money? why are so mean mama?

So where am I taking you as I keep typing? I’m taking you to my solution… I am not particularly smart, or advanced, but I know when i’m out of my league. So I reach for it.

And before i unleash ALL my secrets about parenting, I must disclose that even with my known resources, I failed recently. And I’m so happy I’m not fascinating or famous, and NO ONE recorded my latest attempt of punishing my oldest for shoplifting… And wait for it: hand sanitizer. Yep took a huge tumble as I burst into laughter after she confessed. Apparently after mom’s night out, I found out it’s a HUGE commodity. Who knew… hand sanitizer. In my old days of nursing, we would see very SICK patients who had ingested hand sanitizer to get drunk. I don’t think that was her mission… but she just wanted to fit in. My dear girl. I was speechless and in between tears of laughter, i composed myself and said let’s chat about this in little bit. Homework that night was as fabulous as you can imagine (insert emoji of the biggest eye-roll ever).

HOWEVER, I got resources! With help from Google (and Amazon duh), I arm myself with BOOKS. Love books, and I need guidance. These aren’t topics I eagerly disclose on the Buckhead Exchange, or worst LA Mommies (horrendous Facebook groups, but best for entertainment purposes). So i post just on here, yeah super discrete, because who is actually reading or retaining all this... And anyhow Hanukkah/Christmas/Gifting season are around the corner, which means several things. Soon enough school will break for 3 weeks, and my dear big girl will have more time to ask me questions, (like ALL day instead of after school and before stalling bedtime). And I need some educational gifts (Barbie and Ken aren’t exactly educational). Books are my jam. They get me. I get them.

Without more distractions or side-notes, here are the BEST:

11.. Alphabet Book - it’s not a paperback horribly pictured book. It’s full of insightful women. My oldest’s favorite is Helen Keller. She enjoys pretending she can’t see and needs help. Not getting the point. Yet.

https://alphabetlegends.com/collections/books/products/little-legends-alphabet-book

10.. Good night stories for Rebel Girls - this is amazing. It’s fresh, powerful, and imagery is perfection. When my sis first sent this to my daughter, her fave was a rockstar… Now it’s the scientist (youpie!!!!). She routinely pulls it out to “educate” her brother. I wish this was around when I was a kid.

https://www.rebelgirls.co/products/good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls

9. Have you filled a bucket today? HANDS DOWN THE BEST BOOK. Ever. It encompasses magical buckets and imagination, but brings the very concrete effect of our WORDS and ACTIONS. It is about others, and how our interactions can empty or fill our buckets. A MUST. Our friends recently were punished as every meal for days was spent on “let’s talk about our buckets”…  Amazon link

8. Be Kind - It involves spilling juice on a dress… and my daughter was hooked. It’s incredibly inspiring, and we read it EVERY time someone is mean, or I get reports about fighting. Amazon Link

7. Why is art full of naked people? As I recently splurged on select art from one of my FAVE artists Alison Duncan (@alisonduncart) , my kids get to giggle every time they walk pass my desk. SO what better time to learn all about naked people in art. Book is very cute, and the art itself is comical. It’s a must for any household. Amazon Link

6. Dear Girl - this book encompasses it all: emotions, love, encouragement, and love. This book resonates in our home as its motto is “you are wonderful just the way you are”. It also gives permission to be who you are. Big life lesson in our house.  Amazon link

Side-note (couldn’t help myself): a dear friend of mine kindly conveyed an observation… Said “dude work on her self-confidence”. Ok I’m on it. Got a book for that? AND THEY DO.

5. Everyone gets upset: a book about frustration - SUCH a needed book in our lives. My dear daughter… I love you, and you need to CALM down. Let’s breathe. So this board-book is certainly target for younger kiddos, but nails it on the head perfectly for us. Amazon Link

4. I am Peace - we do live in CALI and mindfulness is actual exercise in her school. Yep. And at first, I gave a HUGE eye-roll. Now I say “i’m sorry - you are totally onto something dear daughter”. She tried and tried to explain how wonderful it was, and asking me billion times “where’s your center mama”. Then I bought a kid-book to allow my daughter to explain it to me… that’s right. No shame. It’s very cute, and fast-read.  Amazon Link

3. Fairy farts: everything you need to know about flatulence in the fairy kingdom - we laughed a lot. Farts are also a HOT topic in most houses. The illustrations are adorable and fun. It goes beyond the typical damsel in distress and makes fairies relatable. Fun book. Amazon Link

2. No difference between us: teach children about gender equality, respectful relationships - I didn’t believe it until i saw it, but little girls are fiercely competitive. The comparison game is brutal. As are rumors, stereotypes, and the power of words. The questions are also insightful, and difficult all at once. Don’t read this one for the first time before your period, or when you are trying to put kids to bed fast. Amazon Link

1. I am girl, hear me roar - title sums it up. BAM. Girls are awesome, and should be reminded they are. Strong message. Insightful. Beams confidence. Amazon Link

EXTRA: I am a warrior goddess - currently in my Amazon cart waiting for additional items (don’t want to be wasteful, and order only ONE book, and there’s promotion), but if my intuitions serves me right, this is a GOOD one. It’s about being a strong little girl BEFORE adulthood hits. I’m sold. And hopefully you are too. Amazon Link

Voila. Happy Tuesday to you! Keep reading adult books too… Or join a book club to force reading books in timely fashion. Til next time.

SUPER GIFTS for SUPERMOMS

I LOVE gifts. I love sending them, ordering them, and paying for them. Wrapping them, not so much. Sorry, well not so sorry actually. It’s the gift that counts right?! My language of love is gifts. Well that’s how I show my love. Words of affirmation is how I like to receive love. Enough about me. This is about GIFTS for all of the SUPERMOMS. Yep, it’s the season, and I GOT THE LIST FOR YOU.

Combining my love of gifts and affirmations, i’ve made a list of MUST-haves for your list this holiday season. All items listed are used, abused and loved gifts. AND it’s giving LOVE to small-business-owner-moms. Moms are my people, and I am giving them the love this holiday season. Moms deserve LOVE and they are receiving lots of LOVE from my AMEX this month.

I’ll stop jabbering, here’s the LIST:

12. The mom shoes: seriously you cannot live without. These make my life easier everyday. They look cool (well i think so), and come in million colors (yellow is obnoxious but perfect for me). Stock up for your BFF, your mom, or that secret-Santa gift. It will be a HIT. These are already purchased for one of my fave teachers at kiddo’s school… I rock these Native Shoes and hope to see them in my stocking this year… in pink , blue, red, orange. I don’t discriminate. Fabulous things do come in size 9.

Best for teachers, BFF, mom, secret-Santa…

https://www.nativeshoes.com/womens/audrey?92=510

11. BOGG Bag: these-are-worth-the-hype. I had to see it to believe it, but yes EVERY mom needs THIS on their list. Lucky for us, we have a mom-business with the hookup. Email these moms, and they will navigate this wholesale world for you. As the owner of the hot pink, I HIGHLY recommend for any mom. It’s fool-proof, water-proof, and kid-proof. It’s best served with a side of mud at the soccer game, sand at the beach, or water at the lake.

Best for your friends, mom with new baby, your sister/sister-in-law, or cool mother-in-law. Or yourself!

https://www.facebook.com/5littlemonkeysconsignment/ or lauren5littlemonkeys@gmail.com

10. Jana Fleming Jewelry: if you are looking for a one of a kind, stunning, show-stopping piece, look no more.  Having owned 3 of her pieces, i know they are versatile, and kiddo-proof. My youngest cannot destroy it, and I feel like a million bucks wearing her pieces.

Best for die-hard football fan girlfriend (she does a LOT of GA, AU, TN, LSU, Clemson gear), or your chic mom. www.janaflemingart.com or @janaflemingart

9. Jen Mann book collection: this is for anyone with a sense of humor. Or anyone without a sense of humor in need of enlightenment. Jen has been rocking the boat, aka knocking it out of the park for years. I own every single one (in print, as I cannot master the art of reading on my phone or kindle). I buy from her every year, and spread her joy -  the one and ONLY time I bypass Amazon and buy straight from the source. Only time. She’s a unapologetic woman who simply collects wonderful funny friends. Her latest endeavor includes exerts from TEENAGERS. Every story is amazingly funny, witty, and comical. You cannot go wrong with any of her books. LOVE.

Best for white-elephant-gift, BFF with everything, friend of a friend, hostess gift, book-club leader, teacher-gift. Literally everyone could benefit from reading her books.

http://www.jenmannwrites.com/ or @jenmann

 8. MK makeup

Don’t turn around, don’t look away. Confront carpool with Mary Kay lipstick, or a whisk of blush on those cheekbones. Whatever you choose, MK is your one-stop shop. I own too many MK lipsticks to count (need to be vague on # for the sake of my marriage). Speaking of my dear man, I own all the eyeshadows to match my handful of going-on-date-night-outfits. You cannot go wrong. Lipstick goes on a LONG way. As does their eye makeup remover - been a fan for YEARS. Now I just need to locate one of my 30 lipstick colors…

Best for anyone with a mouth, or anyone needing a quick lift of spirits every morning. It holds well, and comes in pretty much every color. And the makeup remover is simply the BEST for any woman who wears eye makeup.

https://www.marykay.com/enjoyyourbeauty/en-US/

7. Alison Duncan art

You cannot be in a home without a piece from the famous and fabulous Alison Duncan. House with or without kids, you must own one. She captures her daily life in her pieces. She inspires all moms with her captivating groove of daily life with FOUR daughters ages 5 and below (with a set of twins in there), and nails every piece. She recently took on a huge challenge while cooking her last daughter and crafted a piece every single day for 100 days. Masterful creations she created (and I own about 99 billion of her pieces) and they are best to hang in baby room next to crib, bathroom above the throne, or master by your bed. It fits in everywhere.

Best for ANYONE who enjoys art. Don't click past this picture without buying for someone on your list. She's a MUST. Find her art on social media @alisonduncanart or alisonkellyduncan@gmail.com

6. Lupero Leather Hoop Earrings

This mom. Complete superstar with a HUGE smile. Launched her business earlier this summer and she is simply smashing sales (weird words to put together I know). Her collection encompasses SO many colors (clearly my jam, fouta COLORS, duh). You need to start collecting as you need to own them all. The red and orange are my favorite, and my mom loves the blue. And her best-selling piece is tan/gold. Rachel is even displaying her daughter’s stud piece made from her scrap leather (price-tag is $5, $2 to donate, $2 for her, and $1 to her mom for materials #winning). Her leather hoops are simply to die for. Own 3… And my collection is growing.

Best for anyone with ears. And in need of a fresh new pair of earrings, or engraved bracelets (for those not braving the pierced-ears look). And if you tag her, you will be featured alongside the best on her social media pages.

@lupero_designs or https://www.facebook.com/luperoleather/

5. Coton Colors document book

Bought mine. Love mine. Travel with mine. A page for every date to enter WHATEVER is crossing your mind. If you are one of those fabulous mother that may or may not have documented your baby’s life in a baby book - this is FOR YOU. Document it NOW. I’m a sucker for pictures (in case you couldn’t tell), and i print with my Kodak printer small pictures and glue them in with one small caption. Makes me happy to skim thru it. I have some from last year and this year. If you want to be the mom of the year, document your kids. If you want to be the wife of the year, document your marriage. If you just want something FOR YOURSELF for once, document whatever makes your heart full, ache, palpitate, or calm. And i own two of these… one not opened yet. Working on title page. Aka who shall receive this gift… (it’s a secret duh, it’s a Christmas gift).

Best for the gal with EVERYTHING, or your mil. Or your mother. Or the BFF that loves to document every time you are late.. Below is the website. And check them out because they RADIATE happiness. It’s a feel-good website. Check them out. Trust me.

https://coton-colors.com/

4. Mitchell heart:

This artist captured my eyes with her display of ballerinas, stunning body figures, and nudes. Before you judge, nudes are beautiful portrayals of the human form. And she nailed it. Part of her recent collection are these breath-taking hearts. Ours is displayed on our mantel, and if my kids look at it too long (means disaster coming), they win themselves a time-out. No joking around my heart.  Find her on social media @mitchellfineart

Best for anyone in your life that you LOVE or want to LOVE.

3. Beauty Counter SET

And another don’t-look-away, and just purchase. Since my BFF invested her tiny window of alone time into researching the BEST skincare for herself, I tagged along for the ride. It is SO wonderful to enjoy washing my face, and applying lotion (it’s like 4 steps, and i easily get away with doing 2 many mornings, and go back to my 3 steps at night. I have to squeeze in my MK lipstick somewhere in that routine).

Best for the woman (or man) in your life that enjoys natural skin-care. For my eczema kiddos, their children line is wonderful. It’s a simple line to use and can be adapted for any skin type. I’m truly a HUGE fan.

https://www.beautycounter.com/emilywooten

 2. Grateful to create Wooden Sign

Being a GA girl in a CA world, this piece could not have come at a better time (yes for those who personally know me, yes i’m french too, but GA and CA is better than explaining the ENTIRE thing). I was privileged enough to meet Alicia via super duper secret Facebook group (text me if you want in), and her work baffled me. From screen printing to carving out wood, she has the eye. Eye to make me sigh of happiness when i got my white GA sign hung in our home.

Best for  anyone in the USA really… My favorite for the mom-with-it-all, your mil, or BFF living far from you. She can make any state happen. Alicia has FABULOUS home decor line, and jewelry line. @grateful.to.create or www.gratefultocreate.etsy.com

1. Fouta Colors Fouta

No details needed. If you have read this far, you are now the rockstar. I LOVE working with other moms, and we all DESERVE a pat on the back. At Fouta Colors, we love our customers, so don’t hesitate to tag us, like us, or just send us an emoji. And we would not be a success, without the best Caroline by our side every step of the way. She’s the genius behind our monogram creations, and the best partner in crime. So thank you to my wonderful and fabulous guru Caroline with @monogrammingbuckhead as without you, Fouta Colors would not be a success.

www.foutacolors.com

Applauding all teachers

The end of the school year is near... yes East Coast you're going to be out in a month, but us West Coasters get to enjoy the entire month of June-Gloom at school. Smart if you ask me... 

As i get ready to say BYE BYE to our smiling teachers, i think back at the daily scramble. You are heroes. It's as simple as that. You may not have gone to war, but you go to battle EVERY day. Kids are beautiful, magical, and insane little creatures. I love mine dearly. However, if i was in charge of educating these little gremblins, my two should just throw in the towel. And the third shall sit back and watch...

So again, hats off to you. Enjoy those summer days off. AND don't, i repeat don't worry about us, there will be no educating this summer. my kdis will remain at the level that you left them. except maybe they will learn how to clean out closet, or to evade their rooms during mandated nap-time.  

Again i applaud you teachers! And thank you. And see you tomorrow at carpool. 

Celebrating Father's day the RIGHT way

Father's day cleverly comes about a month after Mother's day. I've learned in my short years as a mom that parenting isn't a game that involves score. We all lose. We all win. We are a team. Right? EXCEPT for the Hallmark holidays meant to highlight the gift of being a dad or mom. I was happily surprised this Mother's day as I was rewarded for being a mama. Like very well compensated (certain coming from store on Rodeo Drive... not bad. not bad). AND last year, it was MADONNA tickets. MY IDOL. And not just tickets, FLOOR seats to the BEST concert i have EVER seen. SO no pressure. Now my turn to think.: WHAT IN THE WORLD WOULD MAKE HIM FEEL LIKE A MILLION BUCKS? 

A book? absolutely not. would highlight his hatred for books...He's super duper smart, but not into books. Weird I know. I still dig him. One day i'll read again too and not just collect books on my night-stand. 

Lingerie? that's more painful than i can take on right now..And my body is beautiful just as it is. AND again it's about the kids right? not about making kids. 

Handprint shenanigans? school is all over that. Cheaters. how can they steal the EASIEST Pinterest fail that he can't laugh about because his kids worked HARD. 

A trip? let's be real. i cant pull that off... i need to research, and think, and talk. No can do. I tried planning a camping and was greeted by disappointment. 

Tee-shirt? no. The last one he wore says, "your trailer or mine".Embarrassingly enough i dig that one. Can't replace it. Not trading a new for the old one. 

Then ding???? brain stops... What does he LOVE? Me. And what makes me happy? a monogrammed fouta. So... monogrammed fouta it is. HOW DOES HE NOT HAVE HIS OWN MONOGRAMMED FOUTA? Everyone else does...

No joke. Gift #1. DONE. 

Well in close second comes his love for music... This man did invite me to dance in the middle of a bar the night i first met him. Good song equal dancing. Dances with kids in living room, kitchen, couch, whatever he can get. Ok... This is going somewhere. Clubbing? Please this is LA. They don't dance. They stand by the bar sipping their $34 cocktail with Anise. Country bar? please, there are none... i checked already for anniversary. this town is dying for variety. Ok back to basics.... 

And what does he love? outdoor music... Ok what do we need, indoor music. Redirect. Indoor music system it is. His small red portable machine is GOING. Here comes our system. Thank you Best Buy. Million dollars later. 

And kicker... as i purchased, they ask for our phone number. I casually give the smiling sales-guy the cell associated with account... his cell... So direct email shall arrive to his phone. Oh boy. At least he got a cool gift. the fouta will be a HIT. 

And that's how you do Father's day. The right Way. You have store warn him of giant purchase by email... MOTHER OF THE YEAR right here. He'll dig it. I know. 

Top TEN places I have used my fouta

This past weekend, at a show in Atlanta, GA, i was asked repeatedly: ok tell me how to use this beautiful towel? Because let's be honest, fouta isn't the easiest word to say especially for a newbie. I responded kindly, do you want the clean-stories or the real-mom stories? 9/10 I was greeted with a smile, and the real mom stories is what i served up. Let's be honest, who has time for the clean stories? No one... Especially not moms browsing the market section of a preschool festival. 

Here are my top TEN uses in life with two beautifully dirty kids:

10. PLANE: to catch my oldest vomit. We have tried the coat, purse, stupid bag Delta provides, and the fouta is the most absorbent by far. And you can't beat the surface area. AND it fits right back into a ziplock bag to be happily stowed until we reach our final destination. Then we toss in wash (yes i should say we always rinse...). 

9. Baby Boot Camp Class: i get a yoga mat. my kiddo gets a fouta. It gets covered in apricots, dried raisins, and maybe a few goldfish or cheerios. Then tossed in wash. It magically comes back to life. Every time. 

8. PLANE: again. Yes we do travel a little bit with our kids. I ask myself WHY every time.. Memories. Creating Memories. Right. Yes. As the airlines are cutting costs, they got rid of FOOD, SPACE for a normal human to extend their legs, and now BLANKETS. When was the last time you saw a blanket (well when not paying $8000 to fly upfront, and my puking toddlers are not welcome up there). Maybe 1999? And since the ability to regulate temperature on board is too difficult, it's usually a steady 55 Fahrenheit. And a fouta covers my kiddos and I just perfectly for a take-off-nap. Then it's party time. 

7. Car: to clean up again. Post vomit. Again my oldest. After the trauma of spit-up has ceased, we start the clean up. Air vents. Ipad (this stupid thing won't die). Shoes. Her hair. My hair. If only they made medication for motion sickness... yes i know it exists but it never exists in my bag. Always safely tucked away at home. Again: ziplock until final destination. 

6. Beach: these dear kiddos have grown accustomed to the XL-fouta lifestyle, aka LOTS of space to spread out. Why play on the sand when you can dump the sand ONTO the fouta and play? Genius... 

5. My office: all moms know this is the extra room in the house for dumping... including new inventory, orders pending, and orders shipping. So naturally, I setup a fouta for the construction of cabin-like-structures, for doll-sleepovers, for crafts (I will forever ban glitter in the ENTIRE house), and simply spot designated to stare at me working... begging for water or snack. 

4. Backyard: among the water balloons, scooters, rollercoaster, and water-table, there's a fouta. Because no matter the fun, someone always need to wipe her hands, his face, or simply needs a time-out in my lap. I'm no longer scared of the damage the fouta is going to endure. My kids play tough. Foutas can take it. 

3. Sidewalk: a busted knee, requires heavy duty care from this mom. My youngest enjoys face-planting, and this is not the time for alcohol-infused super-wipes (ouch). So a little blood never did anything to our mint fouta - the lightest color we have absorbed into our home-collection. Not the dark purple. Or the chocolate color. But classy mint was at our disposal. Again, it cleaned up just nice after the first wash.

2. Emergency diaper: what does one do when there's no more diapers in the bag because of poor planning? You beg. I beg my 2 year old to hold his pee as he sits happily in his carseat after a beach morning... It was a great cloth diaper. My 2 year old seems very free and cozy... Diapers soaked in sand and salt water are not so cozy. And as we know cleaning a fouta is a piece of cake compared to the stupid carseat.  

1. Backyard: simple. Because after all, isn't it all about simplicity? After the kids play hard all day and need a cozy wrap, there's always a fouta waiting for their outdoor dinner. And they need a barrier between their small bottoms and the hard wooden chairs. I still haven't invested in cushions... one day. 

AND the most important. My fouta always recovers. Clean as can be. Not gonna lie, i considered with each vomiting episode to toss it... but i couldn't separate from my mint fouta. Just couldn't. 

That's a wrap. Happy Monday. 

The DAY HAS COME... Fouta 4 Fouta

Officially on April 1st 2017, Fouta Colors embarks on an important initiative benefiting Helping Mamas (www.helpingmamas.org). We believe Fouta 4 Fouta makes an impact by donating one fouta for every fouta purchased. No gimmicks. No complicated rules. Simple: you buy a fouta, we donate a fouta. Fouta 4 Fouta. 

Who is Helping Mamas: a phenomenal non-profit founded in Atlanta, GA providing baby supplies to moms in need. They connect helping mamas to mamas that need help. Items range from lotion to carseats, to cribs, to infant carriers, to pull-ups, to diapers, to TOWELS. Many items are donated in gently-used condition, but towels are always high on the need-list. 

Why are we doing this: giving back is not an innate quality. We believe some individuals are drawn to give back, whether it's in-kind donation, monetary donations or most significantly, your time. As we are currently across the country from Helping Mamas, we choose to donate foutas to make our impact. As Helping Mamas explains, parental financial hardship contributes to increased parental stress, and increased risk social, emotional, and behavioral issues in children. If Fouta Colors can help by just providing foutas, we are a step closer to helping families with basic needs. Hopefully one day, we donate sufficient foutas and Helping Mamas no longer needs to purchase towels, therefore concentrating all efforts on other baby supplies and programs for moms.  

How are we doing this: combination of innovative technology and distributor. Technology is grand as it records every sale, and monthly we will ship the donated foutas to Helping Mamas's headquarters in Atlanta. We ordered child-size foutas, and box them up to Atlanta. 

Fouta 4 Fouta process: in a few weeks we are hoping to have tool-bar indicating how many foutas made it to Helping Mamas. We want our buyers to watch the progress! 

How to get involved with Helping Mamas: They happily take gently used items (except cribs/carseats due to liability) www.helpingmamas.org 

Thank you for being part of our BIG movement, Fouta 4 Fouta. 

Just snap that picture... of YOURSELF.

I was recently asked a series of questions (like in depth... more below), and asked to accompany my deep answers with a picture of myself. WHAT. Of me, only me, and myself. Ok. Again i got this... right? How hard is it to find a picture of yourself on your phone? Well apparently it's a complex question requiring  a blog post. Seriously. 

Step 1. Admitting you have a problem. Yes. Hello, i'm an addict of taking, sharing, and printing pictures... of my kids. Like it's a problem. If my husband allowed it, i would take professional pictures monthly. But apparently that's not acceptable to our budget. To anyone's budget. Looking back, we did have session before my oldest birthday, during her party, and week before we set off for the West Coast. So all three of those event are within 3 weeks of each other. And then when we landed in CA, we booked a beach shoot. Gotta have beach pictures, right? So yes it is a problem. Our front entrance at home is covered by our homely 24 canvases... Before booking this home, the BIGGEST question wasn't where are my kids gonna sleep (btw this CA concept of sharing rooms is GENIUS), but where are the canvases going. We did have to downsize coming here... including our canvas collection. Well my collection. 

Step 2. Look back. Because EVERYONE wants to relive my madness. No. But the proof always lies in your Iphone history. Wowza my kids have changed. Have i changed? Of course! I'm now a business owner, a CA driver's license owner (and more importantly a CA-tax-payer), and mother of 2, and wife of 6 years (gf of zillion years, but who's counting). Of course i've changed. BUT there's certainly no photographic documentation. And let's be honest, it's all about the documentation! PHOTOS always trigger thoughts, feelings, smiles, and history. My documentation lies at my fingertips. And as i'm always behind the lens, i surely see my fingers as 'sometimes' they make the side-portions of many pictures. 

Step 3. Look ahead. YES. Let's be positive. In perfect world, i would commit myself another challenge to myself... BUT how many can i fail? This one isn't hard. Stick that lens in my face (or hit the clever backwards button), and snap. Ok. Deep breath. I can build a business but i can't snap a picture. Fouta pictures? i am ashamed of the amount of pictures saved on my 2 external hard drives... 

Step 4. Live now. Snap now. OF YOURSELF. Below is the latest... Next one, i'm smiling. 

The BEST way to wear a fouta.

Are you a show-off-my-bathing-suit-type? a-side-swoop with my giant coverup? Or let's make this a dress? Or a skirt? OR my kids pulled on it and this is the style? OR just slap it on my body effortlessly making a giant bow in the middle (i swear this is a style. Just like "effortless beach wave hair" is a style)? No matter the style, go with what works. 

The BEST way to wear a fouta is to match your style. Duh. I know this isn't ground-breaking BUT you would be surprised how many women attempt to wear clever coverups and never get the hang of it (example #1: ME). SO in order to fit your style, look at our clever style-guide. A genius artist came up with the card below. It works EVERY time. 

Whatever your style du-jour, we have you covered. Check out below our styling cards!

Mine is 100% "The Bandeau" style. On on top of every scratch, stretch mark, and shoulder-diaper-bag indentation, i can't have tan-lines! Enjoy. 

What's hiding under your FOUTA?

My darling little girl is known to have a few tricks up her sleeve (she is 4 after all), and stuffing the bottom of her bed is particularly "fun". On top of her full-size comforter lives a fouta (hot pink of course to fit her hot pink sparkling personality), and it's always magic to uncover her hidden treasures night after night. At bedtime of course. When we are all full of energy... Right, said no parent. EVER. Back to the story,  this is what is hiding under her fouta tonight:

-a guitar (her pink one). It has 2 broken strings, but who is counting. Her uncle Bertrand would NOT be impressed by my quick dismissal of a broken guitar. Sorry. I said i was sorry...

-3 fridge magnets. As i'm obsessed with pictures, "free" magnets from Shutterfly appear weekly at our house. And somehow magically appear at the end of her bed. My in-laws and hubby's aunt are both recipients of these magical photo magnets. Everyone needs magnets in their lives. 

-zillion stuffed animals. If we are gifted one more... Panda, camel, monogrammed bunny (keeper for sure). Guess what i'm gifting the neighbors for Easter? Yep monogrammed bunnies...

-one sock. why would 2 be found? because that's actually useful. Socks... i could write 1000 words about socks in this house. I won't bore you. Maybe one day. On a rainy day...

-puzzle. a full-set ballerina puzzle. box and all. Must be missing her buddies who gifted her such items. i think she's just stashing it away from her little bro. She is masterful at hiding the good stuff from her bro. Genius really. 

-wet washcloth. WHY. I can't even muster the energy to smell it. These are usually located near changing table or kitchen sink as i can't handle kisses from her bro without mucus. Food i can handle on my face as a secondary site, but mucus, NO WAY. So i happily wipe his nose. only one million times a day. At least a million. And as a resident of preschool 2 mornings a week, he has a consistent runny nose. 

-T'choupi book. Her bro's FAVORITE book. I wonder why... Um.... They really do love each other. I promise. And if they don't, that sucks because they are about to share a room for the next 2 years. Hard CA life. 

-Crayons.WHY ARE THESE NOT AT THE CRAFT TABLE. The only worst thing than finding unmatched socks is finding crayons. I swear we own at least one million, and they are never in the craft cabinet, table, or near the crayon bin. This is why: she hoards them in her bed. 

-Barbie shoes. 2 shoes. Oh yeah. Those miniature chocking hazards. Those things that ALL parents loathe. They don't fit. They don't stay on. They just cause havoc. THOSE shoes we don't separate. OK then. And thinking about it, I didn't know we had Barbies. I feel a purge coming on...

-Big Red. Her dada's favorite and only stuffed animal. and yes it is giant. This is probably the only acceptable item under her fouta. I get it. When i ask her about it, she claims she has no idea why it's there... Ok child. I was hoping for some sentimental reason. Nope she cleared that up right away. Ok child, i hear you. 

-THAT Target dress: this dress... It's huge topic of contest with my dear daughter. It's too small. Too summer-ish for middle winter (even for CA). So she now wears it with a shirt underneath and leggings. Looks awesome. I'm not a fashionista, but this is like socks with open-toe-shoes. So of course it's place is clearly in her bed. Close to her body. 

These foutas really are larger than life.

The proof resides at the bottom of her toddler bed.

Like you needed proof...?

-

Just do this on Valentine's day: HTT (Handle The Trash).

Got you thinking. Got you reading. Thinking maybe, has she lost her mind? How dare she compare the day of LOVE with the trash..? Besides owing readers an explanation, I also have a big REVEAL. A big one. The secret to rock your world. It's quite simple actually. Very easy. As one member of this married couple, i live by one rule: i boycott a certain February Hallmark holiday in my marriage... I said it. Valentine's day isn't for us. As a business owner, it blows my credibility a little bit by making this public.. I have made it my DUTY to know ALL the details about every holiday. It's PRIME time for sales. Perfect for Facebook campaigns (which we did. Didn't you see our beautiful monograms?). Perfect for the perfect monogrammed fouta. But i owe honesty to the 3 people reading this post (and i know my husband isn't one of the three).  

But first back to basics. I love red. Like LOVE. I love red roses. I love heart-shaped candy. I love my red Toms shoes. I also love pink. I love seeing hearts on all the kids at preschool pickup. All the cupid decorations i could do without, but it's part of the game. BUT let's be honest, IT IS A HOLIDAY FOR CHILDREN. It's time to be full on honest as it doesn't have space in our marriage. I shower the kiddo's friends with baggies full of love. Full of trinkets about love. Chocolate hearts. Pink cupcakes (store-bought only as i don't bake). We have monkeys that hug you (thank you Oriental Trading). There's heart-shaped sunglasses, and bubbles that come out as hearts (seriously no. but Oriental Trading you should look into that). We have more heart candy than my kids could possibly eat. Cards. Big ones. Little ones. NO Elsa ones. Another boycott this time around. We chose Dory instead. And Trolls (thanks to a certain visit to Miami, my oldest is obsessed. Thanks. One more pink thing with long pink hair to manage). 

I haven't lost my mind i promise. My marriage is full of love. Love that is showed by huge variety of small ways. And my favorite is watching my husband take out the trash (we all know if it's not witnessed, you can't get credit). For my husband, it's me unloading the dishwasher. (he hates this simple mind-numbing task). Love is holding my hand before i plunge into the task of putting the kids to bed. By smiling across the park after i step into dog poop (this is CA people. there's STRICT laws about this). By simply putting his phone down, his listening ears on, and actively empathize with the day i'm having. By staying silent when i wear completely horrific-looking boots that i saw on Instagram. Or by giggling about why i put our youngest in timeout. Again. And again. Love doesn't need a specific day. It's all about HTT. That's where love lives. In the mundane (a secret my grand-father passed along to me years and years ago. BEFORE i had any idea what LOVE was all about. I get it now). 

Lastly, genius acronym right? I thought i was being SO smart. And funny. And i need to be cool. Because a certain person did not have any clue what ROFL meant. And i swear i'm not that old. And by the way, HAPPY VALENTINE's day. May your day be filled of pink cupcakes, and heart-shaped bubbles. 

What do you read?

One merry day when both kids needed to run off some energy, we embarked on a short walk around the block. And i wanted a newspaper. It requires more energy to load them into car for Target run, so we shall walk to find this magical newspaper. Reading a newspaper reminds of my way-younger-years while living at home, and enjoying the quiet morning time with my mom. Clearly the comics were my favorite but so was the local metro news. Bad stuff happening then. Bad stuff happening now. Things don't really change. My kids see me reading on my phone, but never a newspaper. No time like the present. And it's partly part of my challenge (to read. Book. Newspaper isn't exactly a book. Details). So we walk by a newsstand. WOWZA. The world publishes SO MANY MAGAZINES. Seriously so many. Every interest. I'm unfamiliar with 90% apparently. I need to broaden my horizon besides US weekly, PEOPLE, Gala, Paris Match (yes these last two are in French, but same news. News is a generous word i'm using). Few note-worthy things of this spectacular newsstand:

ADULT Magazines: i'm in total shock that it takes up 1/4 of the stand. Seriously. I guess i assumed everyone used their phones… BUT apparently many are buying. And it seems to be the only section at eye-level. Interesting ploy. 

KIDS Magazines: i guess kids don't read… there are a few Dora ones that look from 1972, but that's it. Glad i didn't threaten to take away their new magazine if they misbehave as there are none (yes i use threats to keep my kids in line. Mother of the year right here). 

GLUTEN-FREE Magazines: who knew this topic was ALSO the keynote speaker of 7 magazines. Crazy. I'm sure it was SO informative. I must admit i did not pick it up. I enjoy gluten. I don't discriminate any yummy food ingredients, except garlic. 

AUTO Magazines: who knew there was such an interest in Auto magazines... i glanced. It's mainly ads. Is this the equivalent to US weekly, where it's full of ads and maybe has one article about the latest breakup? If so, they should be flying off the shelf. 

FRENCH Magazines: i debated. and debated. Do i NEED the Paris Match??? Yes i do... it shall sit on my nightstand unread stalking me... Crap. It is a magazine. My challenge was to read books... I'll keep trying.

PHOTO Magazines: i must admit i did glance for 3 reasons... 1. I'm running a business requiring some photography skills that i've outsourced for the most part, but i should be capable of snapping pics, right? 2. I'm that-mom: crazy-iphone-paparazzi around my kids (screaming JUST SAY CHEESE ONE LAST TIME). 3. I LOVE printing pictures. Exhibit A. my canvas wall of pictures. It's like Canvas on Demand threw up in my living room. Exhibit B. the millions of orange packages sitting in my office... One day i'll frame them all.  Back to to topic at hand: I couldn't get navigate past the titles... I have no clue what camera i own besides the sheer fact that it's a black Canon with a purple strap. I don't know what software i use because i just click and magically it pops up (well it only pops up when I don't throw my computer across the room because it has yet again crashed). So i did not purchase these magical make-your-business-run-smoother-magazine. Next time maybe... One day i'll learn. On my list. 

HOME Magazines: i thought Pinterest cornered the market on Home design. NOPE. This newsstand does. And boy it did not disappoint. Lifestyle-Home-Bloggers, you have some competition. IF ONLY your readers knew that such magazines exist. Am i the only one discovering this??? Good thing my blog consists of topics i stumble upon while mothering. Whew no magazine about that. Or wait is that what Parents is about? Oye. 

So $100 later... i own 7 extra magazines. No newspaper. And clearly this delays my reading books. Should have gone to Target. 

I love a challenge

Who loves hearing "you can't possibly do this" or that? Me… Yes I'm strange. EVERYONE loves a challenge, right? Nothing gets me going more than "no way". Yes way. This may stem from my childhood, my issues with authority figures, or simply my desire to get-it-done. What better way to accomplish ANYTHING than by setting myself up publicly to do so…? No need to wait for January. That's SO predictable. I'm setting myself up to a personal challenge for the INSANITY month of December. No time like the crazy present, right?

Personal goal:

I'm gonna read. Like an actual paperback book… Or hardcover. Can't decide how wild i want to be. Not the kindle, not the internet on my phone, not my kids book because sadly enough that's a given.. A good-old-adult book. Still might be trash, but it's still a book. I got this.

Family goal:

I'm gonna hit up 3 Holiday Venues. With my kids in tow. Alone. I LOVE Christmas time but i do NOT LOVE the crowds. Like dread it. I map-out ways to get around crowds. I mentally sketch out my stroller route to avoid the crowds. I use the H&M elevators instead of mall elevators… i use the do-not-use-elevators-at-Ikea. Yes i don't like these crowds. The insane-you-have-lost-your-mind-crowds. The insane lines. But I got this… all 3 will take place in Atlanta. Wish me luck. Send me patience. If so inclined, send me liquor in small quantities. I gotta be present after all. I got this.

Hubby Goal:

I'm gonna dance… not the night away like all songs dictate. That's not a challenge, that's insanity. But anywhere anytime he asks… He LOVES to dance. Especially together. So that's my challenge. We shall see if he reads this challenge. Doesn't everyone just feel better to get a little cardio??? Side-note: this dates back to our very early days… he asked me to dance in a dead empty bar. No music. Not creepy dead bar, just it-is-passed-everyone-bedtime-dead-bar. Oh yeah he's THAT guy. He rocked it. Oh yeah i married THAT guy. I got this. 

Professional goal:

I'm sitting down and completing the dreaded: filling out THAT spread-sheet. Finances. I'm learning that my accountant may actually murder me if i don't keep better records. Sales, imports, taxes, that's easy. You export all that via website. It's the expenses, bloggers' gifts, and late-night Amazon purchases are little rougher to track. There's a lot… I know. I got this.

What about you??? What r u planning for January 2017? DO IT NOW. By the time January 1st hits, you'll have met your challenge. BAM. Done. 

Until next time...

What NOT to miss on Venice Beach

Venice beach is the MOST eclectic interesting insane and riveting beach-front EVER. Yes there's Mykonos, and there's Saint Tropez, and Bali. And there's Sardagnia, and there's the coast of Brazil (i feel like that must be eclectic) and there's Brac Island, Croatia (I'm told it's eclectic. it's on my list to visit). BUT none of them rival the spectacle of Venice Beach. I'm still a tourist in this town (you gotta be somewhere for at least decade to be local, right?), so I strolled Venice to discover, to see, and to enjoy the scenery.

We pick the day where the wind-advisory is on high alert on everyone's smart phone but ours. So we are greeted with sand EVERYWHERE. Like FLYING sand. Hello sand. I assumed it's supposed to rest calmly on the ground, and not on the sidewalk, in our mouths, or in the snack bag. NOT the snack bag!!! ANYHOW we think, we got this. Embrace this day when the sun, clouds, and wind are fighting for the sky space above us.  

While eating sand, this is my list of MUST-notice when you visit this little stretch of beach:

+Sea of Leather Jackets: is that an in-thing nowadays? I do own one… I think. They are flocking everywhere. It fits in across all ages, genders, nationalities, race, and socioeconomic groups. Insane. One item unifying them? Crazy right. I thought that item was denim. Apparently I'm not up to speed as I'm the only one wearing denim. But that's ok. I fit right in as all is welcome. 

+Green Doctors: EVERYWHERE. As popular as t-shirt stands. Nope not kidding. It is California after all. I'm told there's no actual doctor on site but you can get a script. I thought the one benefit of slaving away at medical school, residency, and fellowship, was the ability to write script, whether it's for a green substance or an assorted variety of colored pill. I guess I'm wrong or need to read-up on my California green laws. Keep u posted. 

+Pigeons Galore: they are simply taking on the sand storm like storm-troopers. Hitting each other to get a chance at scraps from my kids throwing dried fruit in their direction. My kids are OBSESSED with pigeons, so we never miss sighting them. And i guess you can't ever have too much pigeon poop nearby. I hear it's like a good-luck charm. Right?

+Plethora of Rainbow Wigs: some matching. Some not. Some on actual dressed-up clowns. Some just on Susie on this delightful Sunday. Some wearing just a wig. It's colorful. It's fun. It fits right in. 

+Art. All Kinds: body art.  street art. actual art on canvas. discount art. pornographic art. political art. All kinds. Some colorful. Some dark. Huge array for the eyes!  you look left, you might miss what's on the right. As the most-art-incapaciated-individual, I'm taking it in. No joke.

+Dancing: alone, among a crowd, in couples, with kids, with yourself. all is welcome. all is seen. Some with rhythm. Some without. Some with music. Some without. My kids take all this in. My youngest is particularly attracted to a group of 30 with tambourines, horns, and sticks on array of plastic bins. My son is mesmerized as he moves his arms in his own rhythm. Next: Beyonce's backup dancer. He's only 2, but he can move. 

+Just A Few T-Shirt stands: just a few. Clearly we bought some. Suckers. And gifts. Our families are gonna LOVE wearing "i love LA" t-shirts, and "i'm Mike's bitch" t-shirts. delightful. 

+Row of Palm Trees: it's truly breath-taking. Can't go to Southern California beaches, and not acknowledge these beauties. I tried to capture below the imperfect aligned trees. They are merrily planted there swaying with the wind. 

Clearly we will be back. On this particular Sunday afternoon, it was colorful.  Until the next adventure...

You know you are an 80s kid when...

How do you know you are a 80s kid? Simple. You are born in a year that starts with 1980-something. ALSO you don't identify with the cellphone generation… Some of us had cool beepers… And the internet. WHAT DID WE DO WITHOUT IT? Hence I STILL have the SAME yahoo-email-account from million years ago. With my maiden-name. Duh. I hold onto things in the past apparently. 

Here are the top 9 reminders:

1. You know Ace of Base. Like "know" them. Hearing their songs makes your heart ache or full. Or reminds you of that period of your life. 

2. You LOVE The Cranberries. They are awesome. Awesome. Who doesn't love Ode To My Family?

3. You LIVED in Jellies. Boys and girls. These plastics bad-for-environment-wonderful shoes (CA would probably ban them here, or have permanent tag stating that they are dangerous to children and pregnant woman) were a staple on all our feet.

4. You recognize the Floppydisk. Yes not all information comes on hard-drives, flash-drives, or no drive. I'm told about this cloud. Yes I'll check it out.

5. You enjoyed your TrapperKeeper, that was recycled year after year… No need to buy 17 boxes crayons, and 28 erasers, or 12 boxes of tissues (i can't even start to comment on this back-to-school-ridiculouslness). It was join us with your TK and call it a day. 

6. You were well aware of who JTT was…without googling. Boys and girls. Boys wanted to be him. Girls just wanted him. 

7. You used a plastic telephone plugged into a wall socket… Duh. They were SO cool. Yes cool. 

8. You used simple words like COOL. Google that. Pinterest-it. What's the wifi password. Douche. WERE NOT WORDS then. 

9. You had a pen-pal. Not a chat-room pal. Not Instagram-follower. Not Facebook friend. Like an actual person who wrote you letters. That was simply the BOMB. 

Oh boy. This post makes me look really young, or seasoned. I can't decide which. What is to come for my kids. That's for another day. Cheers. 

Foutas come in handy… ALWAYS

So it may not have been long enough but ANOTHER colorful-bodily-fluid-story is coming your way… I just can't help myself apparently. Or i just have two bodily-fluid-retaining-challenged-children. 

Let me set the scene: this is our first overnight-trip away from our new CA digs. I am SO excited as getting cabin fever. Just like many parents, I LOVE PACKING for 3 days. Not. It's basically like moving mountains. So much work only to forget things like, a pair of flip-flops for yourself. And a jacket for yourself. Your kids both have 5 sweaters, and 2 coats, and 3 hats. You? Sweater you are wearing… BUT WHY do they need 10 outfits. Well… they do. Back to the mountains, we chose  to head to the remote National Park Sequoia. BTW don't let this story dissuade you for going. It's breath-taking. It's splendid. It's full of silence, as you don't get cell signal. Delightful. The Best. Well not the best (Bryce Canyon wins that), but it's pretty awesome only 3.5hrs from LA. 

Back to the story: Sequoia, giant trees. Like GIANT trees. Seriously. Anyhow fall is in the air. Leaves are everywhere. Air is fresh. Crisp. I can feel my hubby taking deep breaths (and not because my kids are fighting). And kiddos are in car a LOT, and still alive. Behaving. Pointing at nature. Doing some sort of ah, oh, ah from the backseat with very minimal tears. Success. We even do small treks with minimal complete breakdowns. We picnic along a trail and don't get attacked by bears. Score. The youngest naps in car TWICE during one of our long stretches of joy car-riding. Double score. Oldest finally gets what she's been begging for: the iPad. Oh the stupid-life-saving-annoyingly-present-iPad. The car is quiet… Listening to nature. 

We are adventurers at heart. Kind of. We took a death-route in Yosemite pre-kids. Pre-smart. STILL we decide to take the scenic route (this route is RED on the map, NOT brown). We love red. Right. We got a car full of food, full of gas, and full of foutas in case we need to build a tent (i did say, overprepare in previous posts). We are doing this. Sequoia is a windy place… like 180 degree turns at 15mph every other 15 feet. We take it slow. Well not slow enough... We are enjoying the fresh breeze until its destroyed by a very distinct sound: puke. Not a little puke. A river. And it's projectile. Like projectile into the back of my head, onto ceiling of the car, spraying her own brother sitting besides her, catching the AC vent on the floor, and clearly drowning the Fouta Colors iPad.  I calmly furiously start sending wipes and more wipes in her direction, as the hubby tries to stop the car. One kiddo keeps vomiting, and naturally the other in total compassion starts dry-heaving. Awesome. Welcome back to parenthood. We had forgotten for split second we had kids… 

Back to the insane-overprepare-status : we are wipes-prepared. We have the good-toxic-chemical-wipes. We have hand-wipes. We have wipes to wipe her tear-striken-eczema-prone-face. And foutas work beautifully to give her a bath on the side of the road. Foutas work great as her new outfit (those 10 outfits are safely tucked back at the cabin). And foutas were wonderful to wipe up the galloons of fluid in the carseat. Yum. And best part: once we arrive safely to our cabin, the cleanup… TOSS ALL FOUTAS INTO WASH. Together. Simultaneously. And 55 minutes later, all sanitized. THE BOMB. 

Morale of story: bring on the vomit. We got wipes and foutas. And yes Sequoia is the bomb. 

We made it… THANK YOU.

SO drumroll please: Foutacolors.com is SIX MONTHS. WOOOHOOOO. YOUPIE. AHHHHHH. I wish i could figure out how to add emojis, because i would insert all emojis with a smile. That's for another day. Anyhow BIG DEAL right??? YES. Especially since it feels like it's been a DREAM. But the kind of dream that almost bordered on nightmare-please-let-this-be-done. Only a few times… It's crazy to be your own boss. Like really, this is it. Me, and my foutas. I still can't believe where i am as i type this… CRAZY last 6 months. 

Let's replay my last 6 months:

-launched MY BUSINESS (after hours and hours of sweat, debate, tears, smiles, fear, anger, and happiness)

-became an EXPERT at Customs and Border Protections, and Declarations, AND enforcement agencies at the ATL airport (and LAX, i must say ATL is LOT LESS friendly. LAX for the win)

-moved across the country with 1 husband, 2 kids, 1 dog, and 1/10 of our house. No comments needed. 

-threw our ATL house onto housing market (if interested in WONDERFUL home, let me know). AND snagged a wonderful rental house in the most DIFFICULT market EVER, aka Los Angeles CA. This was WAY more painful than putting house on market. Yeah. 

-got our oldest admitted, signed, and sealed into NEW school with NO TEARS. Took few LONG weeks… we got our system down. I BOLT for the door as she enters. Easy. 

-started blogging (NEVER THOUGHT I COULD DO THIS). I'm still learning...

-entered, and ATTENDED my first show (i didn't become suddenly "ill" and bail. That was my first strategy. That's a lie. I did hurl once… that's behind me NOW)

-perhaps met a business-changing connection (to be continued)... 

-joined kick-butt stroller class (i'm 6 weeks in and STILL sore almost daily). I must be doing something right?

-hit a personal record and hauled me, myself, and I to the beach FOUR TIMES in one week (oh yeah. don't be too jealous). Well, let's be honest the kids tagged along too… 

-got my youngest to unclench my leg for his FIRST DAY of preschool. well it's in 2 days. I'm jumping the gun by saying i accomplished this… BUT I'M READY. Him: not so much. Stay tuned. 

-discovered that i am indeed stubborn, and sticking this out… that particular one to be continued.

SO. In order for all this to happen, OUR world came together, and got us here. ALL because of the support of friends, family, acquaintances, customers, fans, FB fanatics, avid pinners,  and Instagram lovers. Thank YOU. We made it to 6 months BECAUSE of YOU. Thank You. 

SO. THANK YOU for the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU. Thank you for liking our images, reposting our FB statuses, pinning our boards, and BUYING. To the few ladies out there who get DAILY texts from me, and still find the time to answer, thank you. You are my lifeline.

To the man in my life: thank you for encouraging me, supporting me, and not telling me to shove it as i entered the world of entrepreneurship. Thanks for still loving me these past 6 months. 

Again THANK YOU. 

5 AMAZING tricks for this mama

I'm NOT a mothering expert. I'm a dont-do-this mothering expert. Always learning by trial-and-error. I'm collecting "said-no-mother-ever" moments. 

Here are my favorite tricks:

1. Overprepare. U think u need 4 wipes,  "ask" your toddler to help by taking 7 out of container. It gives u a double reason to hit up Target. Because you ALWAYS need diapers. might as well add wipes to the list of your $300 non-urgent-get-me-into-adult-world-shopping spree… 

2. Enjoy that $20/hr sitter… Your marriage will thank you. No additional comments needed. 

3. Eat just that ONE bite after your kid. Those SO don't count towards your Weight Watchers points… said every mother. And tomorrow morning, that stroller class won't be difficult at all…

4. Bring that fouta with you. it will serve as protection against the sun on the beach (your kids look like casper but that sunscreen bottle is currently located one mile from you nestled in the car). It will serve to wipe the boogers, tears, and sticking hands… no one can  possible imagine eating with their feet in the sand, only carrots in the sand, right. And it will also be used a butt-cover when your toddler blows out the only diaper you bought for your one-hour-outing. 

5. Don't listen to anyone but that voice in your head. We all live by trial, and start your own list of tricks or do-not-do-this. AMAZE your friends by sharing it proudly. 

6. Laugh about it and SHARE. There's no way you are the ONLY mom/wife/woman with that irrational fear, problem-child, or love issues. Let's drop this i-can-do-no-wrong, and embrace oh-you-gotta-hear-about-this. 

I added ONE trick for those paying attention… Until next time.